Bruce Springsteen makes a triumphant New Jersey homecoming with rare song, bare chest

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Boss is back in the swamps of Jersey.

Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band kicked off their mini-MetLife Stadium residency Wednesday with a rapturous and cathartic three-hour concert. It was the first of three nights they’ll spend at the Meadowlands venue, with additional shows on Friday and Sunday.

“Hello, my people! It’s great to be in New Jersey,” Springsteen, 73, proclaimed to the crowd of 50,000 strong, many of whom were decked out in new and vintage tour merch. Some carried signs stating it was their first (or 100^th) Springsteen show, while one young woman was dressed in a full Little Orphan Annie costume.

The band was in an especially buoyant mood, no doubt fueled by the electricity of the home state audience. Fans whooped as guitarist Nils Lofgren did his signature spin across the stage in “Because the Night,” and they shrieked as Springsteen ripped open his shirt mid-encore. The rock icon frequently interacted with the crowd: tossing guitar picks to two stunned boys and gifting his harmonica to one little girl and her elated mom.

“Nobody wants to go home, man!” Springsteen shouted to guitarist Stevie Van Zandt as they waggishly traded goofy expressions under the floodlights of the stadium and an even brighter supermoon. “Thank you, New Jersey. The E Street Band loves you. Thanks for a beautiful welcome home.”

Here are more standout moments from the night:

'Sherry Darling' is a surprise addition to Bruce Springsteen's setlist

Despite one sign in the crowd reading “Play whatever you want, Bruce,” the band didn’t stray far from the usual setlist on its current tour. Springsteen still slicked his hair back before launching into a blistering guitar solo on “Kitty’s Back,” and he still led the horn section in a joyous dance at the front of the stage to close out “Johnny 99.”

But one major deviation was the addition of “Sherry Darling,” making its tour debut Wednesday. “Here’s a little summer beach music for ya,” Springsteen said as he introduced the shimmering anthem, which is taken from his 1980 album “The River" and hasn't been played with the E Street Band since 2017. The singer playfully leaned into the song’s sunny vibes, at one point doing a hula dance during a guitar break.

'Nightshift' brings the audience to its feet

Last November, Springsteen performed his stirring jazz cover of Commodores’ “Nightshift” on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” which is taken from his latest album “Only the Strong Survive.” The soulful classic has since become a set-list staple, with a cool trumpet solo by Curt Ramm and glorious harmonies from the E Street Choir. Although many people in the crowd sat down when the song began, no one was still in their seats by the rousing finish.

His musings on mortality are an emotional highlight

For all the euphoric highs of "Born to Run," "Wrecking Ball" and "Prove It All Night," what makes this current tour so special are the moments when Springsteen takes a beat to reflect. Pictures of late E Street members Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons flash across the screen during "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," before he closes out the show with a haunting acoustic rendition of “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”

Earlier in the night, Springsteen wistfully looks back on his teenage bandmate George Theiss, who died in 2018. The poignant story tees up the heartbreaking double punch of "Last Man Standing" and "Backstreets," which never fail to bring us to tears.

“At 15, it's all hellos, and later on, there's a lot more hard goodbyes,” Springsteen says. Later, he recalls his many mementos of Theiss, and places a hand over his heart. “The rest I’ll carry right here, until the end.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bruce Springsteen tour comes home to New Jersey with surprise setlist